The Advertisement for the Album "Yvette Guilbert" created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894, exemplifies the high-water mark of French printmaking during the fin-de-siècle. This piece, classified as a print, utilizes the medium of a woodcut executed entirely in black ink. While Toulouse-Lautrec is often celebrated for his complex color lithographic posters, this stark woodcut demonstrates his versatility in adapting his distinctive linear style to different relief printing techniques. The choice of the woodcut medium lends a raw, expressive energy suitable for its function as ephemeral advertising art, contrasting sharply with the polished graphics of earlier periods.
The subject is the celebrated cabaret star, Yvette Guilbert. Known for her long black gloves and expressive, often sardonic, delivery, Guilbert was a recurring muse for Lautrec. Unlike the vibrant, large-scale posters the artist produced for venues like the Moulin Rouge, this smaller woodcut serves specifically as an advertisement intended to promote a published album dedicated to the performer. The composition captures the essential theatricality of Guilbert, relying on minimal line work and dramatic contrast to evoke her unique presence. This graphic economy helped define the visual output of the 1876 to 1900 period, characterized by flattened forms and an acute focus on Parisian nightlife and entertainment.
The significance of the work lies not only in its artistic merit but also in its representation of modern celebrity culture at the close of the nineteenth century. Toulouse-Lautrec was instrumental in elevating advertising design to the status of high art, and his prints remain cornerstones of graphic art history. This piece is part of the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art, preserving a key moment in the history of French commercial art. Today, high-resolution images of this masterwork are often found in the public domain, allowing wide study of Toulouse-Lautrec’s technical and thematic innovations.
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